Why dot mobi should be redirecting premium domains & reserved domains!
January 11, 2010
I have blogged about why ‘dot mobi‘ should be redirecting their premium domains plenty of times in the past. It’s very bad practice to own all these premium reserved domains, and now 1 and 2 character domains, and for them not to resolve.
Everyone knows this, and everyone it seems agree. Even dot mobi who i have spoken to about this seem to agree but they have hangups about the legal side. Or should i say about the fine print with icann. Well apart from the fact that themselves icann are the most moneygrabbing, dysfunctional organisation you care to think of , I can see no reason why they would have a problem with dot mobi.
It may well be that in the signed agreements with icann , .mobi are restricted in that they are not technically allowed at this point for domains to be forwarded. I see it that they are not allowed to resolve, ie. for a holding page.
Here’s the proposal pdf from dot mobi to icann, back in may 2008 http://www.icann.org/en/registries/rsep/mobi-proposal-29may08.pdf
Quote:
“To commence the allocation process the domains would, in the first instance, be entered into the zone file and
moved to a ‘holding account’ within the Registry database. dotMobi would temporarily be listed as the Registrar
and Registrant of record (the names would not resolve at this point) until such time as the registration credentials
for the domains are awarded and transferred and the names are registered by the successful applicants.
This is simply a release of additional domain names in the .mobi domain space. As such, there is no unique,
technical aspect or complexity to this project.”
(This is appendix 6 of the icann contract.)
Another quote:
“Auctions will not form any part of this allocation process and dotMobi will not make a profit from this process. ”
So we know dot mobi aren’t making a profit as far as these 1 and 2 character domains, but I think it’s entirely reasonable to be able to redirect users typing the said domains into the browser to be directed to mtld’s page about the rfp process.
They certainly should be able to do this for reserved names like ’sex.mobi’ just as one example. A dedicated mtld page offering for sale or enquiry imho.
This is the november 2008 icann/.mobi pdf for reference: http://www.icann.org/en/registries/rsep/mobi-proposal-02nov08.pdf
Now, getting back to what i was saying, currently this is the page people need to find if they want to register an interest in obtaining a one or two character .mobi domain for their company.
And this is the page that people with an interest in a one and 2 charcter .mobi domains need to find when entering it into the browser . ‘If’ technically icann may frown, then icann need to be approached to clear the way as i can see no earthly reason why they would allow.
Certainly it has to be allowed for premium reserved names, like ‘boots.mobi’ or ’sex.mobi’?
Look what the .me registry is doing with its reserved names. Go to www.love.me or www.sex.me
THIS is what the dotmobi.mobi should be doing, and should have been doing for a long time. Or at the very least should be in dialogue with icann constantly to address. Instead over 3 years inthey have thousands of premium domains tied up doing nothing. These premium reserved domains should redirect to a full pc page on the pc and a mobile compliant page on a mobile and detail how someone may go about purchasing.
Let’s just take one example of say: www.boots.mobi
Now it doesn’t resolve. The huge chemist and pharmaceutical company that is ‘Boots’ in the UK, are using www.bootsdiets.mobi as a dieting site. They would obviously like to own the shorter domain www.boots.mobi for their main mobile site it’s fair to assume as they are already aware and using .mobi. But if a site doesn’t resolve, most people assume it doesn’t exist or don’t know about whois (yes, even huge firms), or they may not know how to acquire such a name.
So what is needed is the 1 and 2 character rfp .mobi domains need to redirect to this page
along with a mobile version, and a different page for the reserved premiums so that people can buy. Apart from all the reasons aforementioned, it would provide a much needed revenue stream for dot mobi for the sale of premium names, and for the reserved 1 and 2 character it would help get these out there in the ecosystem. In fact help all of them out into the ecosystem. What’s more there’;s nothing worse for the public and their perception of .mobi domains if thousands upon thousands don’t resolve, or rather at least redirect and explain that they’re available.
Enough is enough. No more excuses dot mobi, address this issue. Get people who can make things happen! This is basic stuff in my honest opinion!
Subway launches ‘SubwayFreshBuzz.mobi’ mobile site
January 11, 2010
Subway sandwiches (USA) , the world famous has launched subwayfreshbuzz.mobi their mobile website.
It is a natural fit with mobile imho, although as more time goes on i don’t see why everything isn’t a natural fit with mobile!
See a screenshot of their 79k alexa ranked pc site promoting the .mobi site, http://www.subwayfreshbuzz.com/mobile/ , below:
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See a screenshot of the mobile site , subwayfreshbuzz.mobi , below:
PP.mobi acquired by Paddy Power!
January 11, 2010
We reported to you almost a year ago that Paddy Power were using and promoting their .mobi mobile site here:
http://okok.com/paddypower-mobile-site-paddypowermobi/
It has been discovered that pp.mobi is now redirecting to their paddypower.mobi mobile site. The domain changed ownership in December 2009, I would guess by the request for proposal process at mtld. I am guessing they didn’t buy, as they are a huge global betting firm with instant brand recognition and of course are already using and promoting their .mobi site.
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I look forward to seeing the new PP.mobi site being promoted. Absolutely perfect short memorable domain for punters to tap in when needing to get an urgent bet on. Quite possibly the sexiest mobile domain in the world!
Tulsa Performing Arts Center launches ‘TulsaPAC.mobi’ - mobile tickets
January 3, 2010
For about a year now, patrons to the Tulsa Performing Arts Center have been able to have their tickets sent to their cell phones. They just haven’t been able to order those tickets by using those cell phones.
Until now. The Tulsa PAC is one of the first performing arts center in the country to have a mobile-device access site, from which patrons can order tickets to any show available through the center’s ticketing Web site.
“It was one of the odd instances where you would think one technology — the ability to buy the ticket — preceded the other — being able to receive the ticket,” said John Scott, PAC director. “In fact, we were the first to approach our partner, Tickets.com, about creating the technology so people could order tickets from their cell phones.”
The PAC’s mobile access site (TulsaPAC.mobi) reformats the PAC’s Web site so that it will be readable on a cell phone screen. Patrons can now order and pay for their tickets via the cell phone.
Tickets purchased through the .mobi site may be picked up at the theater, be mailed to the receipt, printed at home or received as a text message containing a bar code.
This bar code is scanned by a PAC usher, who carries a microprinter that produces a paper ticket. This service, called Tickets@Phone, costs $2 per ticket.
“We know there are people who more or less live through their cell phones,” Scott said, “and we’ve been pleasantly
surprised at how quickly some of our patrons have taken to the new technology.”
He added that the convenience fees for all these various ways of obtaining tickets for PAC events are “are quite reasonable, especially when compared to some other venues.”
For example, the convenience fees for two tickets purchased online for the play “August: Osage County,” playing Jan. 26-31 at the PAC, are $9.50. Fees for two tickets to events at the BOK Center can range for $16.75 for a Tulsa Oilers hockey game, $19.05 for the Monster Jam, and $32.35 for the March concert by Eric Clapton.
“Our ticketing fees are true convenience fees,” Scott said. “So if someone takes the trouble of coming downtown to our ticket office to buy their tickets, then the only fee they have to pay is the $1 facility fee that was recently instituted. All the other fees are waived.”
The site actually redirects in the browser using a mobile.usablenet.com/ tulsapac.mobi configuration
However the TulsaPac.mobi mobile site is promoted on the homepage of the pc site at www.tulsapac.com/index.asp
Recent ‘drop’ .mobi prices
December 19, 2009
Some notable sales from the recent drops.
The following domains were caught and sold mid december 2009 at either snapnames or pool.
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coupon.mobi $7,754.00
taxis.mobi $825.00
german.mobi $275.00
young.mobi $325.00
legal.mobi $351.00
limos.mobi $581.00
betting.mobi $4,100.00
pizzas.mobi $477.00
concert.mobi $350
properties.mobi $903
orgasms.mobi $350
italian.mobi $725
compare.mobi $310
cinemas.mobi $360
tools.mobi $661
location.mobi $1,051.00
rates.mobi $3,303.00
The owner of coupons.mobi bought coupon.mobi
Coupons.mobi sold for $21,175 in 2007
we will actively update list………………..
Check Toy Safety By Mobile - SafeToy.mobi
December 14, 2009
Well this time of year everyone is looking for toys and you’d think
they’d look in the most convenient place - on their phone . So is it
happening? Are kids in playgrounds browsing the latest toys by phone?
And are parents actively looking for safe toys?
Last month saw the launch of toysafety.mobi a heavily promoted site encouraging people to report dangerous US toys and read consumer group warnings about toys. Unfortunately it doesn’t list recalls, but we found a toy recall list, easy search feature, advice and information on safetoy.mobi
But can you actually buy or browse toys on .mobi sites?
Sure, there are hundreds of sites out there. A few we found lightsaber.mobi sells lightsabers, toyark.mobi sells toys. It seems toysrus, mattell, hasbro etc need to pull their finger out as their .mobi sites go nowhere.
Some fun sites that are up from marvel and dc comics are:
http://batman.mobi
http://superman.mobi
http://wonderwoman.mobi
http://spiderman.mobi
Again, you will get a tailored experience whether visiting from pc or mobile.
View the screenshot below of safetoy.mobi . Great to view from a pc or mobile phone. Check it out on both devices. This is a must visit site in our opinion for every parent of small children. It’s a real God send this site is around, particularly for the festive period and beyond.
Incidentally we notice safetoys.mobi is not developed. I don’t think we can have enough of these sites informing parents. I think the top toy brands have a duty of care to develop and promote these kind of sites, along with relevant governments.
UKJobsNet.co.uk launches mobile site: UKJobsNet.mobi
December 14, 2009
www.ukjobsnet.co.uk is a very popular job search site in the UK. It has a global alexa rank of 89k, and a UK rank of 8k
They have now launched their mobile site at ukjobsnet.mobi
Again, they are happy to leave the .net, .org etc unregistered. Like more and more firms and sites,they are realising the branding power of .mobi for mobile.
If you visit ukjobsnet.mobi from your pc you are taken to this page: www.ukjobsnet.co.uk/rsm/39/jobs-on-the-go
See screenshot below. UK Jobs Network are promoting their new mobile site. Naturally when visiting on a mobilephone you will have their mobile site displaying at ukjobsnet.mobi
From ukjobsnet pc site:
”
what’s it all about?
Mobile web browsing is no longer limited to the painful WAP experience it once was. The new generation of mobile devices allow us to get the full experience of the internet whilst on the move.
If you’ve got one of the new generation of smartphones you can now search the latest UK jobs from any place you can get a wireless or wifi signal. Our mobile site is designed to be compatible with many different devices and you don’t have to purchase or install any applications to use it.
To start searching our UK jobs from the comfort of the coffee shop armchair or whilst passing time on your daily commute, just enter the ukjobsnet.mobi in to your device’s web browser.”
MOKO.mobi raises $1,000,000 in funding
December 8, 2009
MOKO.mobi raises $1,000,000
Announcement comes after mobile device communications platform provider seals first major EU deal.
ASX-listed mobile device communications platform provider, MOKO.mobi (ASX: MKB) has announced it has raised over $1 million in capital at a price of $0.10 per share and is in the process of investigating a “significant corporate transaction”.
In a statement to the ASX, the company said the capital raising was done under a private placement and will be made under the approval given by shareholders at its annual general meeting in September.
It also said the formalities of the transaction would be completed over the coming days with any deal subject to shareholder approval. A spokesperson for the company would not provide further information.
“We are encouraged by this show of strong support from private and institutional shareholders, providing additional working capital to assist MOKO.mobi in its current carrier rollout program” MOKO.mobi managing director Ian Rodwell, said. “The company continues to make progress in acquiring new mobile telephone carriers supplying our product to their user base, and these additional funds will enable the company to better support those new contracts.”
In August the company announced it was in the process of raising $1.5 million in equity with funds coming through a private placement with “Triscreen Media Group (TMG) agreeing to invest a further $500,000 as part of the placement”.
At the time of the announcement it said it was confident of “achieving at least $1.5 million under this placement”.
Early in December, the company also announced it had signed its first major continental European deal with Telefonica Spain.
MOKO.mobi raises $1m
Computerworld Australia
FlyTheSouthAfricanFlag.mobi - SA National Pride Campaign - fifa
December 7, 2009
The world will be watching – and you can be there!
Learn more about our National Flag and enter the competition to win tickets to the FIFA Confederations Cup 2009. The champions are coming …
This mobile site was built on behalf of ‘Brand South Africa‘ which is the International Marketing Council of South Africa.
Further promotion for FlyTheSouthAfricanFlag.mobi can be found on one of their other official portals:
http://www.southafrica.info/2010/flytheflagforfootball.htm
‘Brabys’ launches mobile site at ‘Brabys.mobi’
December 7, 2009
Brabys is one of the leading business & shopping directories in South Africa.
Promotion:
www.brabys.com
www.brabys.com/landingpages/BrabysMOBI
The cctld pc site can be found at Brabys.co.za , it has an alexa of 62,000. Their .com site, Brabys.com, has an alexa rank of 29,000. This is obviously globally. In South Africa and Africa, the rank is in the low xxx range.
You can’t miss their .mobi promotion when visiting the pc .com site:
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Screenshot of Brabys.mobi site:
